The CEO of Ferrari Mr Amadeo Felisa had some interesting remarks during an interview with UK magazine Autocar at the recent 2010 Beijing Motor Show. One of this was on the need for Ferrari to produce eco-friendly cars as we've seen when Ferrari displayed the 599HY- KERS hybrid car at a recent motor show.

Of course, Ferrari purists may be fuming by this blasphemy, especially where a compromise must be made over the pursuit of power and handling over the environment. For most, a compromise to the essence of a Ferrari is unbecoming and unwarranted. Even Mr Felisa seems to be with the purists, stating the following:
“Our customers are looking for the essence of Ferrari – the emotion, the performance, the technology and so on. The way in which we fix emissions is not their problem but ours. If we are not able to fix it, only then will it become a problem for them.”

He even goes further to say that come 2015, if Ferrari is forced by worldwide government regulation, a hybrid Ferrari like the 599Hy-KERS above will be produced as the issue of emissions control for Ferrari will be more of a political issue than a real one as lowering emissions of every Ferrari will not save the planet. Imagine that, this guy must be a real petrolhead. Or in simple terms, Ferrari shall only go green if people, with big guns and power will force them to do so. I like this chap's way of thinking.

Every year 10,000 or so Ferraris are sold worldwide, but almost all are garaged weekend cars or after hours cars that have no real effect on pollution. In fact, Ferrari owners I personally know take out their Prancing Horses once a week on average. On a Sunday. Hopefully those spoilsport legislators would see through all the green lobby and see the light.

On a lighter note, the next Ferrari limited edition mid-engined supercar in the mould of the 288 GTO, the F40, the F50 and the Enzo Ferrari will make a turn around back to basics and have a turbocharged eight cylinder unit. The next Enzo will now be like the next F40 as if you remember, the F40 has a 3.0 liter turbocharged V8.

The implementation of the Hy-KERS system will enable Ferrari to produce cars with the traditional V8s and V12s as well as other types of high output multi-cylinder engines. The current Ferrari hybrid philosophy is that for every pound that the hybrid system takes up in their cars, the cars must produce 1bhp in return. This is so that the performance of a Ferrari, is the performance of what a Ferrari should be. Hybrid or not.

Mr. Felisa also spoke on the use of carbon fiber as part of the chassis shell, saying that its implementation will, for the time being at least, remain limited to the limited edition exotic type of cars like the Enzo and not used in its production models like the next 458 Italia or the next 599. Felisa says that "nobody today has a real understanding of what happens if you damage a carbonfibre structure."

Imagine that. And after years of use in Formula 1 and on their GT cars, they still don't understand or are still aren't brave enough to fully utilise it in their cars. Ferrari really are unique in their train of thought.